Pokémon Sun and Moon, combined together, are the main event for 3DS this year. The hype and buzz around Pokémon GO hasn't exactly harmed awareness of the upcoming portable titles, and The Pokémon Company has also been upping its game with a number of major reveals. In recent times it's unveiled new...

This week Level-5 did what it does best and made us excited for upcoming Japanese-made games. While there wasn't exactly a lot of information on the two Nintendo 3DS titles, Lady Layton and The Snack World, we got just enough of a glimpse of both to make owning a 3DS a sound investment well into...

What a few months it has been. Since we last took a look at what we knew about Sun & Moon, following its original reveal, we have had a massive amount of information; it's still coming at us faster than a Quick Claw Speed Forme Deoxys using Extreme Speed.
While much of the news has focused on new...

It's safe to say the general - or at least loudest - response from Metroid fans upon the reveal of Metroid Prime: Federation Force was one of disappointment. One year on and things have calmed down a little bit, but is there enough in this game to sway those who spoke so strongly against it at E3 2015?
First and foremost...

Not only do cat puns abound in Monster Hunter Generations, but your furry friends are also bounding around the field. Palicoes - as they are called - are your friendly Felyne companions on your quest to hunt giant monsters, gather rare items and level up your battle-scarred Hunters. In this guide we provide key...

Despite being involved with Nintendo Life, there are elements of the wider Nintendo world of which I am largely unaware and, until very recently, Yo-Kai Watch was one such element. Naturally, I knew of the series, its popularity in Japan and the

Mario Party Star Rush was one of only a few new Nintendo announcements out of E3, with Ever Oasis by Grezzo (due in 2017) being the other major reveal. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was arguably a reveal too, but that was perhaps more of an unveiling, as it's a game we'd known about for around two years before...

Summer is pouncing upon us and at the time of writing it's Independence Day in the US and a tad drizzly in this writer's part of the UK. It seems like a typical early July day, but we are shaking things up a little in this latest quarterly entry of the 'Biggest Games' series. We're combining the Wii U and 3DS...

With so much news coming out of E3 a few weeks ago and only so many pages in a magazine, Famitsu has struggled to keep up with it all. Like last week, ample E3 news buried a few shining gems of information about upcoming Nintendo games, along with a couple obscure titles that will likely never see the...

There are a small group of titles coming to the 3DS in 2016 that will target a broad audience, but one Summer release in particular has engaged a dedicated group of RPG fans - Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. The wait for localisation certainly made some rather unhappy, especially in Europe where the PS1...

Somewhere above the Los Angeles Convention Centre, the Harvest Goddess was smiling over this year's E3; along with Natsume's in-house-developed Harvest Moon: Skytree Village, XSEED brought a farming-fan-favourite in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns — the latest game in the long-running...

Zero Time Dilemma's review and a ninja brawler also make an appearance

It's been a while since Nintendo Life covered Famitsu magazine, but because it consistently features world-first previews and reviews of many Japanese Nintendo titles, we decided to bring it back for your reading pleasure.
This week's magazine featured a double-page spread on...

When a series gets to a decade old it naturally becomes ripe for experimentation and evolution, as fans crave fresh gameplay and executives dream of bigger sales. It's no surprise, then, that Monster Hunter Generations dabbles with a range of new ideas that allow players to approach the hunt in different ways...

I'm yet to play Mighty No. 9, but I've been following the chatter around it with a sense of weary resignation. It's been getting a lukewarm response in PS4 reviews, and the publisher hasn't exactly been rushing to get Wii U code out to anyone other than those who have paid for it...

This year's E3 was notable for many reasons, but for farming sim fans the bumper crop of 3DS agricultural adventures on display was one of the best. Along with the internally-developed Harvest Moon: Skytree Village at Natsume's booth, there was also the latest game in the Bokujō Monogatari series (formerly localized...

With Shantae and Story of Seasons filling XSEED's E3 booth with so much colour and cheer this year, there was one title that stood out starkly with its bloodstained logo and bleak look: Corpse Party on the 3DS. This inimitable Japanese indie horror game has been scaring people silly in various forms since 1996, and is now...

While Atlus' booth at E3 this year was decked out from top to bottom in Persona 5's deep red regalia, tucked in between artwork of the Phantom Thieves and attendees swarming for swag was a single splash of neon green, representing a hidden gem for 3DS gamers: Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. This upcoming RPG is a sequel of sorts...

If you're a retro fan, chances are you've come across at least one game in the longstanding Kunio-kun series. Running steadily for the past 30 years in Japan and localized under such varied names as Renegade, River City Ransom, Street Gangs, Crash 'n The Boys, and Double Dragon, the series has been incredibly prolific and...

With its giant inflatable tree, pastoral picket fences and fully-stocked stables of farm-animal plushies, Natsume's booth at this year's E3 represented a rustic respite from the show floor madness, and we happily headed down to the farm to check out its newest title: Harvest Moon: Skytree Village. This latest is Natsume's...

Homebrew is an interesting part of the gaming scene. On the one hand it can be used by fans with coding skill to do intriguing things with hardware, but it also violates terms of use in the act of tampering with the system. Nintendo often moves - rather effectively - to shut...

It's not so long ago I mentioned poor old Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. as a game that had been left with little hope of commercial success; it somewhat flopped, in case you'd forgotten . It struggled to make a dent in the West and failed badly in Japan, not even making the top 20 when it launched in the country...

Fire Emblem Fates is out in Europe today, but picking up a copy isn't as simple a purchasing decision as it was with the previous outing, Fire Emblem: Awakening. While that only had one version, Fates is divided into two retail packages with a third chapter coming on June 9th. Choosing which...

Monster Hunter Generations is due to drop in the West on the 15th July, but before all that we met up with Executive Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and Producer Shintaro Kojima to discuss the game in proper Nintendo Life style.
Check out the video below where we get these two cheeky chaps to spill the beans on the...

The game finally hits Europe this week, but what's all the fuss about?

After what seems like an eternity, European players will finally get the chance to play Fire Emblem Fates this week. Intelligent Systems' latest turn-based tactical triumph launched in North America back in February, and we awarded it a glowing 9 out of 10 in our review. However,...

The Yo-kai Watch franchise is enormous in Japan, to the point that in late 2015 Level-5 was able to reference 10 million games in the series being shipped. That number will have also included some sales from the first game's launch in North America, though based upon its absence from NPD's results and...

As we approach a new generation, we have now had a first look at the seventh generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon. These games are the second generation of Pokémon games on the Nintendo 3DS, so while things may look the same on the surface there are some interesting changes that have come. While...

Well, Pokémon is still a very big deal. Following the announcement of the Starter Pokémon through a debut trailer the franchise was trending on social media, and at the time of writing the trailer on the official Pokémon channel has amassed over 4.4 million views in a little over one day.
Pokémon Sun and Moon...

This isn't really how it was supposed to turn out. A lot of expectations, from fans, to writers, to tech-industry analysts that are paid a lot of money for their opinions, reckoned the NX - in some form - would land for the Holiday season this year. The industry changes rapidly, however. In the last couple of months...

Details of the next instalment in the Pokémon franchise should start to come out very soon, and we're interested in what you would like to see from the newest addition to the Pokémon family, or just the future of the series in general.
To get you thinking, I've thought of some areas...

The headlines earlier this week often focused on 2017. The NX and the new Legend of Zelda are both due next year, and in the nearer future there are particularly low Wii U sales forecasts; as a result the 3DS is going to be central to Nintendo's 2016. The portable has done the job of carrying Nintendo to...

We're well into 2016 and despite the hullabaloo around the NX and mobile games from Nintendo, it's too soon to move on from the various delights coming to current-gen systems. We've already published our updated list of the biggest games coming to Wii U this year, though it was lacking in major retail titles. The 3DS doesn't have...

For families it is often the games you least expect to be a big hit that get played more than any other. While I liked the look of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games I wasn't expecting it to turn into my family's go-to game this month.
There are a few factors here that make it a great fit for...

The 3DS is five years old, a grand age for a portable family that had a rough start but recovered to establish itself as a success for Nintendo. As it heads into - potentially - a home stretch that will include highlights such as Pokémon Sun and Moon, we've been looking at some of its best games.
We already published the...

With the 3DS now being five years old we thought it'd be a good time to reflect on its impressive game library. To do this we asked you to pick your favourite games through the user review feature on the site, covering both retail and eShop releases.
It proved to be an interesting experiment, taking into account the sheer size...

The 3DS has reached its fifth Anniversary for its release in the West, and in the first of multiple feature articles focused on the portable Dave Letcavage and Jose Acosta share their thoughts and memories related to the portable.
Dave Letcavage:
I haven't been in the best heath for the...

Though the landmark has already passed in Japan, we're now approaching the fifth anniversary of the 3DS in the West. The first model launched on 25th / 27th March 2011 in Europe and North America, respectively, with the original model focusing much of its sales pitch on autostereoscopic 3D. That feature would...

So, Star Fox Zero will not only have a co-op mode that'll allow less experienced players to play as a gunner and pew-pew stuff through the GamePad, but also a friendly option where gamers will have an invincible Arwing and simply fly through a level regardless of their performance. In the very...

Note: Mild spoilers ahead for Fire Emblem Fates Birthright and Conquest. You've been warned.
No matter which path you initially took, Fire Emblem Fates' two campaigns left a number of open questions around what's really happening in the world. Where did all those shadow enemies come from? Who is Azura, really? Why didn't the...

It seems that not so long ago Nintendo's ability to keep secrets was legendary. When leaks or early slip-ups emerged in past years it was normally a trusted partner that spilled the beans - examples included the occasion when a TT Games employee tweeted a picture of the re-designed Wii U GamePad prior to its...

Nintendo, for reasons covered frequently on previous occasions, can no longer rely on sheer volume of releases for 3DS and, in particular, Wii U. What it can do is share its passion for its hardware through its own game releases and how it delivers them to fans. In its 3rd March Nintendo Direct broadcast the company did...

Following Nintendo's latest Direct broadcasts, a much clearer picture of the upcoming goodies on Wii U and 3DS has emerged. It was pitched as a presentation to show off current-gen games in our near-future, and it delivered on just that.
Following on from our equivalent list for the first quarter...

Well, Nintendo certainly tried to wow its fans with its first full Direct of the year. Regardless of opinions over the content, what is clear is that there was plenty of it across the different key regions, with a mix of solidified details and surprises thrown in. Considering the timing and content here it's certainly...

It had been a little under four months since the last full broadcast - aside from game-specific efforts - so Nintendo came into its most recent Direct broadcasts with a remit to seize momentum and excite Wii U and 3DS owners. Overall there was plenty to mull over with some surprises and big announcements,...

Following the quickfire Pokémon Direct that arrived in late February, we now have a full-fat Nintendo Direct to look forward to. With clear expectations set by Nintendo - Spring and Summer games for Wii U and 3DS - along with trademark postings and the obligatory 'leaks' that always precede any broadcast,...

Thinking back to some older Nintendo Direct broadcasts between Europe and North America, the formula used by both was often largely the same - there'd be shared segments from Japan led by former company President Satoru Iwata, and then regional sections that specified local...

In this series reflecting on older games still getting regular boot-ups among Nintendo Life staff, Tom Whitehead talks about why he's still playing Star Fox 64 3D with worrying frequency. After all, it's worth warming up for Star Fox Zero, right?
I was reminded today by my tweeting mother (who has been described...

Well, the first Nintendo Direct of the year has aired, and it was short and snappy. The Pokémon Direct was confirmed to be around five minutes long when announced, and it only edged up to 'approximately 6 minutes' when it actually arrived; there was no double bluffing to be found...

On paper at least, Hyrule Warriors Legends is a solid business decision. As the 3DS enters its twilight years (no pun intended) AAA software is becoming increasingly hard to come by, and seeing as Koei Temco's Warriors engine already exists on the handheld, Hyrule Warriors is, on face value, a pretty...

In a season already brimming with high-profile RPGs on the 3DS, Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale stands out: a crossover between Yohsuke Tamori's PopoloCrois — an enduringly popular fantasy manga series that's served as the basis for several anime adaptations...

The 3DS family of systems, rather like its DS predecessors, has gradually accumulated a highly impressive library of RPG titles, with that library representing varying styles and approaches. A few of these are hitting the market this year, especially in Europe where some 2015 releases...

Creating games for children is tricky because it's the small things that make the biggest difference. My kids often get as much fun from unintended consequences of the main game as they do completing the campaign.
I've been reminded of this while playing Pokémon Super Mystery...

Recently I was heavily focused on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, figuring out the focus for what would become our preview of the title. From a personal perspective it's proving to be a lovely experience replaying the GameCube / Wii title, and it is by most definitions a solid remaster. The graphics...

This week will bring Nintendo's Q3 financial results, a presentation briefing from company President Tatsumi Kimishima and a Q & A with investors. Now, that may not be very exciting on paper, but this particular set of results comes at an interesting point, as it'll be the first...

When Project X Zone was originally announced, the news came somewhat out of left field. The massive crossover was an RPG lover's dream, featuring characters and content from three popular and prolific companies. The final result was a success, though there were some complaints to be had with the basic gameplay structure,...

Bravely Default was an interesting title for Square Enix to release, as it was a classic Final Fantasy-style game in essentially all but name. Though it featured many well-trodden JRPG tropes, it mixed these in with modern gameplay standards and conveniences that made the experience all the more enjoyable...

Though it was unknown to gamers at the time, Fire Emblem: Awakening was something of a last ditch effort by the development team to make the tough SRPG series a sales success. Failure to do so would've resulted in the series suffering the perma-death that so many of its characters have experienced. Diamonds can only be created in...

With 2016 now well underway many thoughts are on what will be a vital 12 months for Nintendo. In this year alone it'll reveal - and potentially release - its next generation of gaming hardware with the NX, it'll launch its first smart device apps and the My Nintendo / Nintendo Account services. Throw in the annual...

The start of any year can be rather quiet in terms of game releases. Plenty of major publishers save blockbusters for the final third of the year, while mid-late Spring can also be a rather busy period for releases. Nintendo, courtesy of some delays or strategies on its part and from third-parties, actually has quite a lot...

Isn't it great when a new year rolls around? We can just dust off our hands, shrug and march forward with a skip in our step and smiles on our faces. We can - oh yes, we can.
As 2015 drew to a close I had a Skype call with the Triforce of Nintendo Life Directors, my bosses that I try and boss around when /...

Stock markets and investing in shares can be a strange affair. Though business acumen and experience can go a long way, aspects of the process can resemble a casino; even just taking Nintendo as an example, the company's share prices soared in March 2015 when the partnership with DeNA and the...

The current generation of home console hardware has had an interesting challenge in defining itself as 'next gen'. In the era of Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 Nintendo brought motion controls to the mainstream while its contemporaries placed their focus on HD graphics and a drastic progression in online multiplayer gaming. In this current...

2016 has arrived, and with it comes optimism and potential for an exciting gaming year ahead. Though plenty of eyes are turning to the next generation of Nintendo hardware, of course, we nevertheless have a fairly busy line-up on the way for 3DS, the portable that continues to...

The New Year has begun, and after a 2015 that was considered reasonable by a number of Nintendo Life readers, the hope is that 2016 can be a blockbuster year for the company. Less 'not bad', and more 'holy moly that was amazing'.
The exciting thing is that it could go either way. This is going to be a 12 month period...

It's now 2016, and hopefully the beginning of an exciting year for Nintendo and its fans. With various big games, products and reveals either dropping out of 2015 or always being planned for this year, we're set for what could be a bumper 12 months.
Your humble writer will be looking ahead at what...

Reflecting on Nintendo's 2015 isn't a simple task. There has been great sadness and disruption due to the passing of Satoru Iwata, and the company has been in a general holding pattern for large parts of the year.
Let's consider the key releases or updates that have fallen back to 2016, in no particular order. Most prominent...

Nintendo released new hardware in 2015. Yes, it really did. It can seem so long ago now, but the New Nintendo 3DS arrived in the West in February, having made its début in Japan and Australia in late 2014. We were rather excited about it here at Nintendo Life, too, landing as it did with both The...

It's the season of end of year awards, and now it's time to reveal your winners for the best games on Nintendo hardware in 2015. Thousands of you cast your votes, and now the results are in.
You had all of the same categories as in our staff awards, and these are the gongs that mean the most; rather than a team of 20 or so...

Another year of gaming has passed, so it's time to look back and pick out some of our favourites. 2015 was - it's fair to say - a mixed year for Nintendo; in terms of major game releases there were some undoubted highs, but also a range of disappointing spin-offs and minor releases. On the flipside it felt like a strong...

From now until the start of the new year we're going to be republishing some of what we feel are our best features of 2015. Hopefully this will offer the chance for newer readers to catch up on content they might have missed and allow long-time fans to reacquaint themselves with features they enjoyed the first time around. Today...

"There's a bit of rivalry between the Minecraft and Terraria communities"

With Terraria on the 3DS, Minecraft on Wii U and Terraria coming to Wii U soon, there's arguably never been a better time to be a Nintendo block-builder.
Looking at the first direct capture from the Wii U game alongside some 3DS footage, Dean Scott - Producer on Terraria at...

Though some DLC and amiibo are still to arrive, leaving the development team with some work to finish off, it's certainly the end of an era for this generation of Super Smash Bros. The very nature of the Final Video Presentation was always going to be a tad divisive - the Fighter Ballot, in particular, had been a red...

As 2015 draws to an end it's that time once again - Game of the Year Awards. We're continuing with tradition (albeit with some improved polls) in having both Staff and Community awards; the latter are entirely in your hands.
As in previous years you can vote through a series of polls. We've shaken it up a...

It was a busy week in the world of Nintendo, with two announcements standing out above all others and a couple of corking eShop releases that were reviewed. As is now tradition we've decided to make life easy for you if you're trying to keep up, collating the best news of the week as well as all of the releases and...

With all the fun and games of the week with Thanksgiving in the US and Black Friday madness around the world, it's been another busy seven days. As is now tradition we've decided to make life easy for you, collating the best news of the week as well as all of the releases and reviews you've come to expect of...

Last week we shared some of the best Black Friday deals coming to the US in 27th November; it's quite an event Stateside with promotional leaflets leaked and released well ahead of time.
It's rather different in the UK as deals are revealed somewhat later and closer to the day itself. With the shopping occasion rapidly...